Agencies warned to ready for shutdown

Biden officials say just normal procedure, but many hurdles to clear before funding expires

WASHINGTON — The White House budget office notified federal agencies on Thursday to begin preparations for the first shutdown of the U.S. government since the coronavirus pandemic began, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill struggle to reach a funding agreement.

Administration officials stress the request is in line with traditional procedures seven days ahead of a shutdown and not a commentary on the likelihood — or lack thereof — of a congressional deal. Both Democrats and Republicans have made clear they intend to fund the government before its funding expires on Sept. 30, but time is running out and lawmakers are aiming to resolve an enormous set of tasks to in a matter of weeks.

House Democrats earlier this week approved a measure to fund the government, suspend the debt ceiling and approve emergency aid such as disaster relief. But that plan is expected to die in the Senate amid GOP refusal to support Democratic attempts to lift the debt ceiling.

With the first of two major deadlines looming next week, Democrats publicly maintained the current course, pledging to put the House-backed bill before the Senate that would fund the government into December and allow the country to borrow freely throughout most of 2022.

“Every single member of this chamber is going to go on record as to whether they support keeping the government open and averting a default, or support shutting us down and careening our country toward a first-ever default,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said to open debate on the chamber floor.

Privately, though, Democrats also began to acknowledge they are unlikely to prevail in the face of a GOP blockade. Democrats have started discussing the mechanics of how to sidestep Republicans as soon as next week, according to lawmakers and aides.

Many government functions are financed through spending bills that must be approved by Congress, including everything from the military to education programs, before one fiscal year ends and the next begins. Alternatively, lawmakers can pass short-term measures that sustain existing funding to buy themselves time. Absent that, the result is a full or partial shutdown.

Missing the deadline doesn’t bring all government operations to an immediate halt, but it does require perhaps hundreds of thousands of federal employees to go home without pay. The implications for a shutdown during a pandemic, however, go further. Parts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health could even close if funding lapses, according to Bill Hoagland, a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Republican staff director for the Senate Budget Committee. Hoagland said a very brief shutdown may occur but said he doubted it would go on for “any length of time” because of the implications.

“This would be the first shutdown during a declaration of national emergency,” Hoagland said. “In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and non-resolved issues related to the delta virus, to have a shutdown of some of the major federal agencies would add unbelievable complications to our ability to recover.”